ANALYSIS OF MACBETH MONOLOGUE ACT 2 SCENE 1

Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare that talks about three witches telling
Macbeth that he will be king of Scotland ,thane of cawdor .Motivated by his wife and
consumed by ambition ,Macbeth kills King Duncan hence becoming the new
king.However his guilt and paranoia leads to more series of murders to secure his
position as king .Eventually ,Macbeth and Lady Macbeths actions catch up with
them ,leading to their downfall and death.This paper analyses a monologue in act two
scene 1spoken by Macbeth about the hallucinations of seeing daggers, by dwelling at
the vision on how it will be conducted and the technical concept of the monologue.

To begin with is the artistic vision on how to direct the monologue.The play will be
one hander directed on a bare stage with a chair and mirror which will have a mirror
were the person acting as Macbeth will use the mirror for hallucinations as she will
imagine seeing the invisible daggers.In addition to this they will be use of Grotowski
theory by focusing at some elements within the theory.First element is emotional
memory whereby Grotowski asserted that use of emotional memory in order to recall
experience ,remember the corresponding emotions and then create emotions as part of
performance .The other element that will be in cooperated by the actor from
Grotowski’s theory is physical training.He believed that a person’s body can express
anything anyone this elements motivate character as well to be in character.This
elements of grotowski’s theory motivate character and emotions.

Additionally are the themes of the monologue.Firstly is the theme of paranoia and
anxiety.Macbeth fears to be discovered is evident in his hallucinations and
questioning of reality.Another theme is the power of human psyche.The monologue
showcases the intense struggle within Macbeth’s mind.highlighting the human
capacity for self-deception and rationalization.Moreover is weight of secret and
deceit.Macbeth’s inner struggle stem from the secrets he keeps and the lies he tells
himself and others.Lastly is loss of control,the monologue suggests that Macbeth is
teetering on the edge of madness,as his grip on the reality begins to slip.
Moreover the technical aspect in this monologue that will be directed will complete
and enhance the artistic aspects.The monologue will be done in the corridor with dark
light to show that macbeth is in his hallucinating moments .
Additionally they will be dark tense instrumental sound that enhances tense moments
of the actor in hallucination of the imagination of daggers.
The monologue will be set in a room where Macbeth will face the mirror to show that
the are at one’s personal space and the mirror helps the actor to have the abnormal
imaginations of the knife.
An illustration of hallucination of Macbeth seeing daggers in a lonely room.